Snippet #2427055

"...I don't know who these guys are," Yuwen said, taking Ann's hand and helping himself up. "But they're not bandits. They stay in the square, though - they're not after the citizens. Come on!" With his swords at his sides, he charged into a ring of tengu and instantly killed one with a blade toss, quickly retrieving his weapon and lashing out at the others in fluid movement. Reckless was the first word that came to mind, but not many of these creatures seemed to be very capable, considering how easily so many of them had been slain so far now that she returned her focus to the ongoing battle. She motioned to follow after him but her path was barred by another tengu; this one was donned in patterned armor and seemed to stand taller than most of the others, not to mention that his aura of chi emitted heavier pressure as well. He slowly began circling her with its sword held vertically at his side, Ann simply standing in the center of his orbit, eyes fixated on her opponent. Then, without warning, he rushed her.

She back-stepped both his first swing and second swing, finding that the chain was pulled together far too quickly for her to exploit a weakness in his attack. She had already gotten used to fighting those who were faster and stronger than her and, by now, it had almost become something of a norm. Sometimes, she even wondered if becoming faster and stronger herself would throw off the balance of her fighting style, but usually dismissed the idea as inane. Still, there was improvement in her swordplay and footwork everyday, especially with all the bounties she'd been herding under her name. That was more than enough training for her. She hopped lightly in place as she kept her gaze on the tengu lieutenant, still not having drawn her sword yet. He charged again and she ducked under the first swing, moving to his side and raising her head, closing in on him so that their backs were literally pressed against each other, both spinning in a circle as the tengu sought to get her out of his blind spot. Ann shifted the placement of her foot as he turned around, who tripped over it and regained his balance just fast enough to avoid immediate decapitation as she lashed out at him in his split-second of vulnerability. If it were someone else it might have possible, but this one was simply too on guard to be slain by something like that.

The two were facing each other again now. Her sword found its way back into its sheath as she backed off a few steps, seeing that the tengu had no intention of letting up the pressure. On the defensive again, she side-stepped and dodged his flurry of successive slashes, unable to spot an opening for her to strike. Her retreat slowed down as she began to feel the urge to lay on some pressure herself. She drew and swiped away the tengu's next attack, turning the blade around with a flick of her wrist and swinging toward him. The edge glanced harmlessly off of his bracer as he raised his arm to protect his face, using the same arm to shove away her weapon and launch a straight jab. She barely moved her head away, the fist grazing past her ear. Her sheath made a second appearance, which she pulled up just in time to defend herself from what would otherwise have been a fatal attack, the tengu's blade smacking against it in succession to his gauntlet strike. Ann backed away again, keeping more distance between them this time. It didn't matter how skilled she was; he simply reacted too quickly to anything she tried to dish out. She slid her katana into its sheath again.

Her brows furrowed, scanning the area for anyone that could lend assistance to her.